Tales of the Abyss
Tales of the Abyss was an event mainly centered around the rise of the chaos Goddess, Pandora, and the threat she posed to mankind as a whole. This event also included several sub-events, including the introduction of the villainous Havion, Magnus' capture, and the all-consuming madness of a once great friend. Events The Madness In the late hours of Haven, Connor fell into struggle with his inner madness. He fought and lost, and gave rise to the being who called itself Angelo. A full manifestation of his madness, he rampaged across the city. It was not until arriving at the Republic of Diocese HQ that he was confronted. Magnus had arrived to confront the Madness, and the two were locked in a bitter struggle that lasted for quite a while. Though he was quick to flee, Magnus gave chase. Angelo stumbled upon Ashlynn, and he tortured her. Though for just a moment, Connor's conscience returned and in that brief weakness, Magnus ended his life with a slash across the chest. Although the Madness had been killed, Connor died with him. His body was buried outside of the HQ, but like the phoenix he arose again, no longer plagued by his inner demons. The exact nature of his rebirth was unknown, but he had returned and was willing to pay for the damages he had caused. Homecoming After the dust had settled from the previous incident, a new evil arrived from a distant dimension. Upon the festival grounds in Haven, the disgraced reaper known as Havion arrived. He hailed as the envoy of the Hunters of Exile, a group collected for the sole purpose of seeking and capturing Askal. Words were exchanged as Magnus shifted into his alter ego, before a battle was struck. However, the battle didn't last long. Havion was clearly the more experienced reaper, and managed to deal a blow that left Askal and his body unconscious. He was taken away, back to the realm from which Havion came from; Abyssia. The rulers of the capital in Abyssia, the Mazkeonian Sanctum, sentenced Magnus to death, and would rid themselves of a traitor to their realm. He had only 24 hours before this execution. Connor had discovered of his friend's fate, and upon the ground there was his scythe Gilgamesh. Though it still took the form of Evergile, it reacted to Connor's presence. The man picked up his friend's weapon and became the first person other than Magnus to wield the reaper's tool. All the reapers of Abyssia possessed unique skill sets, and when Connor touched Evergile, he unlocked skills of his own. Though he could wield the scythe, he could not handle it for long. The strain proved to be too much on his body, so he had it bound up in a special cloth that rendered magical items inert for as long as they were concealed. With Gilgamesh/Evergile in his possession, Connor would wage a war upon Abyssia, all in the name of rescuing his friend. Though, he would not do it alone. Joined by the mad doctor Ezeal and Ashlynn, Connor managed to infiltrate Abyssia. The air in this dimension was thick, possessing a unique structure that would be foreign to Earthlings. The trio reached the capital city of Mazkeon--a massive floating city in the sky--and from there, the Citadel at the center. Enforcers, the law of the city, began throwing deadly spears from the walls, but the three managed to evade this assault and pierce into the structure. Although the Sanctum was nowhere to be seen, Magnus was able to be rescued rather quickly. Only Ezeal and Ashlynn would join him in the escape, as Connor seemed to mysteriously disappear within the Citadel. A group of hooded Abyssians challenged him, and with his curiosity questioned, Connor delved deep into the darkness of the Citadel. That was the last of his involvement in Abyssia. When Magnus and company managed to reach the docks, Havion was there waiting for them. He challenged Magnus personally, who graciously accepted as he wanted another chance to destroy his aggressor. Through a portal torn between Earth and Abyssia, Ashlynn and Ezeal escaped as Magnus clashed with Havion. Their battle was intense, with their auras struggling against each other and physically destroying the city around them. Although Havion was soon to impale Magnus through the chest, it seemed that it wasn't enough to keep the White Inferno down. Reacting to the realm of his alter ego's origin, Magnus unleashed a new power called Reaper Form. Perhaps being the first time ever that he would display this power, Havion was left aghast as he was overpowered. The disgraced reaper was cast down into the darkness below. He cackled madly as he disappeared into the Void Sea below, not to be seen in Abyssia again. With the fight concluded, Magnus limped his way into the portal and returned to the festival grounds, where it had all began. Beginning of the End Connor rained down from the heavens on a blistery winter evening. His figured burned a bright black, and he shined like a beacon as he re-entered the atmosphere. Meanwhile, Magnus was in the midst of a lengthy battle with hordes of Fallen, which had suddenly and unexpectedly besieged Haven City. Because of this deadly foe, an old face returned to Haven; Roland, the Crusader. Magnus and Roland teamed up the combat the threat, and just as they did, Connor hit the ground. A wave of debris was sent in all directions, thrusting Fallen into the air from a mighty shockwave of destruction. This man he exhibited divine speed and strength, and annihilated the hordes of Fallen in the hundreds, until they were all gone. Whatever had become of Connor when he disappeared into Abyssia, he emerged as something more powerful. Where only days had passed for the rest of them, years had passed for Connor. The Abyssians showed him things he could not believe. He became a time traveler, surfing the flow of ages and planes and seeing more than any human could see in a single lifetime. With this power of time travel, Connor explained that he went to the beginning of the universe, and the end of it, but always with him came a chant. "She cried for mankind, she gave them hope, she built a box to keep the terror, the madness unleashed, the reapers run, the night when all eternal shall fall to judgement." Connor had met many intelligent people across the ages, but none offered him the answers he sought. The chant foretold of a prophecy; the Goddess of Chaos, Pandora, would soon wake. Meanwhile, Ashlynn and Kanzuki joined forces to infiltrate the base of an unknown organization with aims to take over Haven. Connor eventually joined them as well, returning to his original state. The exact nature of this organization was quite unknown but it was known of their intentions. So they had to be stopped. Eventually, Anaithnid had arrived as backup and all four of them made way for the meeting room. Currently, the leaders of the group were conversing behind closed doors. And so it would remain that way, as Connor barricaded the men inside, while Ashlynn planted a bomb. The timer gave them 5 minutes, more than enough to escape unharmed. Although Connor and Kanzuki took a different route and made it out unharmed, Ashlynn and Anaithnid suffered injuries before they were able to make their escape. The four of them made way for Maverick Tower, where Magnus and Roland were waiting. Magnus quickly attended to Ashlynn's wounds, while Connor treated Anaithnid's wounds. His robotic arm was mostly destroyed, but Connor managed to repair it. With all present, Magnus told everyone what Connor had told him earlier. Pandora was a powerful entity that threatened to wake soon, and if she did, she would bring her chaos with her. The seas would boil and the air would catch fire. Planets would crash into each other and the universe would come to a cataclysmic end. Unless Pandora was stopped before this doomsday prophecy came to pass, everything would come to an ending. The Leviathan Awakes It was on quick thinking from Magnus that if they could destroy her slumbering body, Pandora would not be able to awake. Thanks to the help of the Titan called Cronos, a prime location of Pandora's body was located; Greece, particularly the Grecian Underworld, Tartarus. Boarding a military plane flown by one of Connor's old friends, Magnus and him were joined by Ashylnn and Connor's niece Natalia, who had recently lost her mother. Bound for Athens, the plane eventually made its way across a boundless desert. Massive tendrils suddenly burst forth from the sands and grabbed the plane, clenching upon it tightly. Connor leaped from the plane to confront this creature, known as the Leviathan. He managed to make the creature release its grasp upon the plane, but it was already doomed to crash. Magnus shoved Ashlynn and Natalia out of the plane just before it did, and he was caught in the wreckage. Meanwhile in the desert below, Connor did battle with the mighty Leviathan. Managing to put the raging beast down quickly, it seemed to be the end of the fight. Not long after, a human figure emerged from the Leviathan's corpse. Claiming to be the brother of Connor, the two of them fought. Connor was eventually overpowered by this unknown male, leaving Connor seemingly dead. Magnus crawled from the wreckage of the plane, only to witness as the mysterious man pierced his hand through Connor's heart, making him go limp and cold. Leviathan left thereafter, leaving the team to contemplate their fates. Taking Connor's body with him, Magnus, Ashlynn and Natalia headed off for Athens, where Connor might be able to receive some treatment for his wound. When they arrived in the city, they found it to be half-destroyed, thanks to the rampaging Leviathan who awoke not moments ago. Taking refuge in Ashlynn's beach home, Magnus allowed the others to tend to Connor's body while he stepped outside. Left to contemplate the horrible state of affairs that had happened to the city, he was left with little options. Connor himself was now struggling for his life within his own mind, where he was scolded by what appeared to be something of a father figure. The figure chastised him for failing to defeat his brother, and eventually elected to free him from his mental torment. Connor awoke and made a miraculous recovery, being healed of his wounds. Realizing that it was too dangerous, Connor sent Ashlynn and Natalia away to a safer place, specifically to stay with Kanzuki, one of their mutual friends. The Reaper and Madness took to the streets then, destroying the spawns of the Leviathan that were left over from a previous attack. With nothing else in their way, the two sought out the gates of Tartarus, where potentially, there graves would lay. Underworld From the summit of Mount Olympus, Magnus and Connor made their descent into the Grecian underworld of Tartarus. Once reaching the gates of the hellish domain, they were stopped by the first Guardian; the three-headed hell hound Cerberus. Dialogue was shared, where the Reaper and Madness explained that they sought entry deeper into Tartarus, where they could destroy Pandora's vessel and stop her from awakening. Cerberus refused these claims and a battle was struck. Magnus stepped in to combat the Guardian, fighting with nothing but his bare hands. Cerberus charged and clamped his teeth down on Magnus' left arm, leaving deep bite marks as fangs ripped through the Reaper's flesh. Magnus responded by slamming his fist into Cerberus' nose, dazing the beast. With his demonic strength, he tossed the guard dog off of its feet. Summoning up a massive fist made from negative energy, he punched Cerberus back into the ground, killing it. Cerberus transformed into a strange orb afterwards, which merged with the Reaper's scythe. The duo pressed on deeper into Tartarus. The hellfire and brimstone environment suddenly shifted into that of a sprawling desert, not unlike when their team had first arrived in Europe. Off in the distance lumbered a colossal Titan; it was Atlas, the world-bearer. From Tartarus, he bore the weight of varying dimensions on his shoulders. Collectively: Tartarus, the Elysian Fields and the Fields of Asphodel, as well as Earth. However, Atlas was the second Guardian of the Underworld and was therefore another obstacle. Connor ran a distraction while Magnus clambered up Atlas' back. Connor managed to avoid strike after strike as the mighty Titan rained down fists, any of which could crush Connor's body in a single blow. Magnus managed to claim an orb from the Titan's back, similar to the one that came from Cerberus. After this discovery, Connor suddenly unleashed an energy unlike what had been seen before, and crushed Atlas into the ground. The Titan was not killed, but it was no longer an obstacle to the two. So they proceeded onward. Tartarus shifted back into the fire and brimstone that it was known for. And it was not Pandora who greeted the heroes, but rather the lord of the underworld, Hades. Hades expressed lament for the defeat of his guardians, and even allowing these two men to enter into his domain. Though since they had shown their strength, he granted them audience. The two of them pleaded that the world above was in danger, and that Pandora threatened to wake. Hades explained that the world above meant nothing to him, and Pandora was kept in Tartarus because she was too powerful. However, he offered them a deal. By returning both of the orbs they had claimed, Hades allowed them entry further into Tartarus. With that came another promise, of which they were to never return. They agreed and finally tracked down Pandora. Surrounded by the wails of lost souls and rivers of molten lava, Pandora sat there weeping. They had their chance to end it all right now. Though something strange came over Connor, as he sympathized with the poor woman. Magnus shouted at him and tried to dissuade him from his course of action, but to no avail. Pandora arose and embraced Connor. The world seemed to stop in that moment, before the Goddess of Chaos unleashed a shrill scream. The dimensional wall between Tartarus and Earth was already weak with the defeat of Atlas, and Pandora's cry made it crumble completely. She made her escape from Earth and disappeared into space, but the action caused her soul to tear from her body. Her soul was deposited somewhere on Earth, and if the two were to combine again, Pandora would be free to ravage reality. The Tower and the Blaze After several long days of searching for Pandora's soul, it was finally located. According to Magnus and his rather comprehensive scans, her soul was residing somewhere in the Arctic Circle, at the ends of the Earth. Magnus and Isabelle, joined by Anaithnid, took voyage to the location. Upon arrival there, a massive tower beset the horizon. Sprawling high into the clouds, it had seemed like this was the resting place of Pandora's soul. The three of them ascended the tower and reached the very top, where Pandora's mortal vessel was waiting. It was a young girl in her twenties, and it seemed that Pandora's soul had claimed a mortal body and sent it to this place. Though it seemed as though the girl was sleeping, she wasn't. Pandora had already claimed the girl, and proceeded to attack Anaithnid and Magnus with decisive action. An ear-shattering scream tore through the upper dome of the tower, and the resulting shockwave had sent Magnus plummeting down into the snow below. Anaithnid wasn't as lucky, as Pandora's vessel struck with blinding speeds, gripping the super soldier's head and using enough strength to effortlessly lift him into the air. Emitting another scream directly into his face, Anathnid's visor shattered and the concussive force was enough to render him unconscious. Pandora seemed to leave the vessel soon after, as the girl fell limp. Likely, the case had been that mere mortal vessels could only contain Pandora's will for limited periods of time, before killing the host. Not wishing to bring about the demise of such a compatible host, Pandora's ethereal form fled. Left to pick up the pieces, Magnus retrieved Anaithnid's unconscious body, and Isabelle helped them all return to safety. While the three had gone after the mortal vessel, Connor alone left himself to contend with Levi, the figure who was birthed from the corpse of the Leviathan. The two were at odds and Levi found himself easily anticipating all of Connor's moves. Levi revealed more of their past together, how they had once been the closest of brothers and all Pandora their mother. The game had already been set in motion still, and Levi and Connor fought. Their burning auras matched a certain rhythm, referred to by Levi as "Dawn of Her". Summoning powerful flames, Connor propelled himself off the ground and quickly left Earth's atmosphere. He ventured out through the vacuum of space, not phased by it. His destination was the Moon. Landing upon it, he readied himself and Levi soon joined, where the battle of brothers soon sparked. Levi wielded a mighty trident, and Connor a great sword. The two fought through the moon's crust, digging through layer after layer with their climactic battle. Moon rock was carved through as though it were nothing but wood, and left a gaping hole in the moon. Eventually, Levi managed to impale Connor upon his trident. It made more sense at this point, why Levi had used this particular trident. It was more of a key, a key to a prison inside Connor's own soul. Thus Atoru the Calamity was unleashed from Connor's body. Atoru ripped forth from Connor's chest, and the traumatic separation left him completely unconscious. Drifting through space, Connor was caught by Pandora's mortal vessel; the very same vessel that Magnus, Anaithnid and Isabelle had tried so hard to capture. Although Pandora previously fled, she was now able to maintain her symbiotic relationship with her host. Atoru had seemed to be the source of all Connor's abilities. The arrogant man was left in the arms of his mother, a wicked goddess with dreams of unraveling reality itself. Levi accepted Atoru's power into himself, becoming more so of a God. Levi promptly cast Connor back down to Earth, with a fierce display of his new power. He began to burn upon re-entry, crashing into the Pacific Ocean and sinking into the watery abyss. Broken and left nearly lifeless, all hope had seemed to fade for the possibility of Connor's survival. Though he would not die here, as an old man happened upon his limp body, and ferried Connor to safety within an underwater cave. As Atoru and Levi rained havoc on Earth, and Pandora drew closer to fully merging with her host, the ballad of Pandora seemed to be entering its final act. Gods Among Men Days and weeks passed since Connor's apparent demise, and Magnus and Anaithnid were still recovering from the incident in the Arctic Circle. Again, they were hot on the heels of Pandora's mortal vessel, which had again been abandoned so Pandora could better improve her symbiosis. This new location of a white tower had appeared in a small rural town in Canada. The duo headed there immediately, and easily scaled the massive spire and located the vessel again, hoping to put this charade to an end. Though, plans changed when Levi appeared. As Pandora was about to possess the host yet again, Levi betrayed his mother by consuming her soul. He devoured it and empowered himself further; he became a God through the combined souls of both Pandora and Atoru inside of him. Though Magnus and Anaithnid attempted to seize Pandora's soul from Levi, even the combined efforts of the duo proved futile in the face of Levi. In just a few moves, he left both of them on the brink of death. All seemed hopeless, until Connor reappeared. Saving Magnus and Anaithnid from death, Connor did battle with his brother once more. The two waged an epic and final battle across the skies of the Canadian town. Lightning flashes and thunder boomed, massive spirals of energy twisting through the heavens as these two figures did battle. For this fight was not for pride or power, but the fate of multiple universes hinged on it. Should Levi succeed, his immense power would be enough to tear dimensions asunder. The incredible display could be seen from miles around, appearing as a storm but being much more than that. The power that Levi now possessed was incredible, as he twisted the skies in his favor, assaulting Connor with bolts of lightning and fire and death. Realizing that against such impossible odds, Connor could not win alone. Summoning the one thing that had sparked this entire chain of events, Connor fused with his madness once more time. The battle reached a fever pitch but ultimately, Levi burned himself out. In a flash of eternal flames, Levi's souls were burned right out of him, leaving a hollowed husk to crash into the ocean. After a fight that lasted several hours, Levi had been killed. The ballad of Pandora came to a close. As Anaithnid and Magnus were nursed back to health thanks to Ashlynn, Connor elected not to join his friends. He retreated back to Mount Olympus and laid there in silence upon a grassy knoll. After exerting inhuman levels of power, he felt his body failing him. He knew that although the threat had ended, his life was the price to pay. He closed his eyes and came to accept this, but he did not die there. Perhaps by some miracle or an act of a dying god, Connor was revitalized. He seemed thankful in a way, and soon returned to Athens to be with his friends and family, and the one he cared for most. With Pandora destroyed and Levi dead, all seemed right in the universe... for the time being, at least. Category:History Category:Lore